Floss in Cadastre and Land Registration

National land register database

So far, not much of the open-source plans have been implemented in LASSP. 

The installation of PostgreSQL in provincial cadastral offices and migration of all 

land registration databases from MS Access to PostgreSQL has been postponed 

until the arrival of new computers and network servers. The migration of the geo-

graphic datasets to PostGIS must wait until cadastral tools for gvSIG have been 

 developed. But there is one area where the use of open-source software in LASSP 

is already successful.

The Cambodian Land Register exists as separate provincial databases which are 

updated in provincial cadastral offices. Backups of these MS Access databases are 

sent regularly to the central cadastre in Phnom Penh. Using these backups, the 

data from 15 provinces has been combined into a national land register database 

in PostgreSQL. With over 1.7 million land records, the data could never have been 

stored in a MS Access database. The national land registration database is used to 

monitor the registration progress in the provinces, extract information on land 

transactions, and for statistical purposes. Whenever new provincial backups are 

available, the national database is updated. As a central data store, this national 

PostgreSQL land registration database forms a good basis for the development of 

a Land Information System with public information services over the Internet.

Looking ahead

The use of PostgreSQL database software for the Cambodian land registration 

system brings considerable advantages. More users can simultaneously access the 

 database; the amount of data that can be stored is virtually unlimited. The data 

storage and processing becomes more reliable and more secure. The installation 

and upgrading of open-source GIS will be so much easier than the handling of 

multiple ArcGIS versions. But with the introduction of open-source software, the 

Cambodian cadastre will not solve all of its IT problems. The difficulties to replace 

and repair old hardware, and the lack of skilled IT professionals remain a concern. 

The MLMUPC recognizes these limitations and is considering the establishment of 

an IT department, and the contracting of IT staff to work on the maintenance and 

further development of the digital cadastre system. The combination of local IT 

 expertise and the use of open-source software would make the Cambodian cadas-

tre system truly sustainable.

References

World Bank (2002). Cambodia Land Management and Administration Project, Project Appraisal Document.

World Bank (2009). Land Management and Administration Project, Aide Memoire of the Eleventh Multi-Donor 

Supervision Mission, 12-23 January.

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4.4 Ghana

 

Wordsworth Odame Larbi, Benjamin Armah Quaye, Kofi Abakah Blankson